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If you haven’t heard the story of my wedding dress: Brace yourself- it’s pretty unique. I knew exactly what I wanted, and my stubborn self wasn’t settling for anything other than what I had in mind. What I ended up with was more than I could have dreamed of.

I did the traditional try-on’s at David’s Bridal and Alfred Angelo’s in San Antonio with family and friends, and was sorely disappointed in my options. Every ‘lace’ dress I tried on was just lace appliqué, seemed very mass produced, and were way over my price range. After searching online for inspiration, I found a picture of a designer dress style that was perfect- but it had a designer price and was in Arizona.

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We do a fair amount of traveling in our line of work, and I am so thankful for it! I have seen more of South Africa’s landscape than most native-born residents have. Truly. From Hoedspruit to Cape Town, Mafikeng to Johannesburg, Kuruman to White River, Kimberly to Polokwane, Hluhluwe to Ellisras- I have been there!
Method of travel has mostly been by means of driving our trusted Land Cruiser, but also via Kalahari Ferrari, commercial airline and private jet a select couple of times.

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to highlight on the larger topographic areas that we have been to, as well as select trips that we have enjoyed, with of course the aid of many pictures.
So stay tuned because there is much more to come soon!

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Ahhh.. the English culture spread its’ roots in South Africa long ago, and the best part of that would be the culinary influences it brought with it. Tea time, anyone?

My husband loves scones. Absolutely loves them. Once I made them myself, I easily saw (or rather tasted) why. Warm yumminess that is similar yet sweeter than a southern biscuit, with strawberries and creme oozing out from the middle. You just have to eat them once to truly understand why tea time became a cultural staple- setting aside a time to sit quietly and enjoy some hot tea with a side of this wonderful creation is good for the soul.

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I must apologize for not having had the diligence or inspiration to really sit down and put thoughts to words since my last post. Interestingly enough, that post (5 Reasons My Children Will Hunt) has been extremely popular. Since I posted it in March, it has been viewed 446 times, by people from 29 different countries! My homepage (which has access to all of the blog posts) has been visited 722 times! The most popular countries have been the United States, South Africa, The United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, France, and Australia. I am shocked by how worldly diverse the visits to my site have been! The internet truly is an amazing tool.
Therefore, whoever and wherever you are as you happen to be reading this right now- Thank You for visiting my site!

…So what all have I been up to for the past six months?
It includes a lot of new experiences, travel, adventures, laughs, and learning-
But you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out more! :)

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Sometimes, you just need some comfort food, and tortillas are my ultimate comfort food.

Besides being totally scrumptious, they are extremely versatile.
You can use them to make breakfast tacos
(yes, it is a taco- burritos are deep-fried and folded on both ends),
enchiladas, lunch tacos, sopapillas, … the list goes on and on.

So, should you be on the great continent of Africa, I have figured out which ingredients (throughout many cups of various flour and many trials) work best to make tortillas.

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I wasn’t partial to any specific make of computer- Until I met my MacBook just over a month ago.

It was daunting at first- trackpad gestures and finder to name a few. But oh, how my love has grown.

I must admit, the first couple of days after getting my MacBook, I thought that I wouldn’t ever learn how it all works. But oh my good-golly, it is amazing! After the first week, I had it all down. Now, my phone and computer work seamlessly and efficiently together. If you have an iPhone and enjoy it- I strongly suggest taking the leap and buying a MacBook. Continue reading “She’s in love with a MacBook”→

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Scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook, I see posts from close friends, friends of friends I have met once, friends from High School, friends from Elementary school, a person whom I spent an 11-hour plane delay with in a terminal, in-laws, Aunts, Uncles, first cousins, and fifth cousins. Out of all of my 656 Facebook friends, I have not met one, max two, in person myself and had a conversation with them. But does that really qualify them as a ‘friend’? Do I really need all 656 people of whom I ‘know’ to interact with me on a social media site thus enabling them to share in my daily life via the digital world? Or, should I just limit my post content to include only things I know won’t insult anyone and/or their beliefs? I.e. Christmas and my Christian beliefs, hunting, eating meat, etc… Continue reading “‘Social’ Networking: What is a ‘friend’?”→

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While milling around yesterday in the African younger sibling of Sam’s Club, Makro, I walked by a fellow bulk-shopper. As I walked away from this boot-wearing middle aged man, I felt the corners of my lips twitching- I just couldn’t contain myself, I had to ask him the question I knew the answer to. I gave my husband the i’m-going-to-do-it look and turned around. “Excuse me, Sir. You’re not from South Africa, are you?” He turned to face me, and I glanced at the white cap he was wearing, I instantly noticed it had the state of Texas embroidered largely on the front. “OH! You’re from Texas! I’m from Texas!” He giggled a bit at me, explained the he has lived here for about 3 1/2 years (looks like I will survive), and that there are about 200 Americans living in the east of Pretoria. We, er… I, exchanged contact details and teased him with the allure of my homemade tortillas and enchiladas. Will the overly-friendly, slightly-awkward Texan girl (ahem, me) ever get invited to an American get-together in South Africa by this stranger from Amarillo named Steve? Only time will tell. Continue reading “Heritage Day and the Billy Goat”→

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*Updated to include DISCLAIMER:
The following blog post is in no way meant to provide any individual with specific advice. An immigration specialist, or the South African Department of Home Affairs should always be contacted directly for advice. The following describes my experience from August 2013-July 2014, and laws and/or protocol could vary greatly depending on your specific case details and/or method and/or place of application.

Original Blog Post:
If any of the following seems boring or provides you with stress, anxiety, or headaches- just remember that I actually did it all- and if you are contemplating taking the same route, I pray for your emotional well-being.

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Here I am!
Married in March, and only now do I decide to start documenting this transitional time in my life.
Thinking about it, I don’t know at what future date our lives will cease to be transitional. College, dating, moving, paperwork and visas, marriage, more paperwork and visas, moving again, babies, paperwork, babies while moving, paperwork….. Paperwork, changes, dishes, and laundry, are about the only constants we can count on.

I decided to start a blog because it seemed more sensible to me than buying yet another journal, that I will write in approximately 8 times a year. Detailed entries, yes. Good handwriting and commitment to writing frequently, no. However, one thing I am diligent with using on a daily basis, is my handy-dandy, world-connecting, handheld device- my iPhone. So a blog, a public journal, if you will, sounded more reasonably suited for documenting my thoughts and experiences. Plus, there is so much less anxiety in publishing a blog post that was written with a public audience in mind, than carrying around a journal filled with personal thoughts. (Flashback to Jr. High when schoolmates found my journal. *shudder* ) Continue reading “An Introduction”→